Twice the Trouble
by djghostwriter18
Summary: Justin and Ryan Cameron are the twin sons of Emma and Sean who now attend Degrassi. While they must focus on their own lives, their mother begins to answer their questions about her life. R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Again, I do not own Degrassi: TNG or any of its characters.

**Prologue**

Sean watched Emma pace back and forth in her room. Had she been any other person, he would have told her to stop a long time ago. But this was Emma Nelson he was talking about. He hardly had the strength to tell her no when she was doing something wrong, how could he tell her no now?

"God, is it suppose to take forever?"

He wanted to respond, but what did he know? He would probably say the wrong thing now anyway, so he chose against speaking.

"…to me?"

"Huh?"

"I asked are you even listening to me." Emma repeated. "You're tapping your foot a mile a second."

Sean paused and looked at his right leg. He had been so caught up in Emma's pacing and her needs that he had overlooked his own anxiety.

"Sorry Em. I'm just anxious." Sean said.

"Me too," Emma responded. "I just didn't think it would take this long."

"Yeah…" Sean remarked.

After the word left Sean's mouth, the two went back to their previous state. Emma began pacing again and the heel of Sean's right foot began rising and falling at a rapid pace.

It seemed like hours before Emma's body stopped on the dime. Sean stiffened as this was something wrong. The look on Emma's face told him that much.

And then she moved to him on the bed and plopped down beside him. Sean looked at her and then the device in her left hand. He was far from admitting having a hard time understanding what it said, so he put his other skills to task. Emma was scared- frightened actually.

"Em…"

That was the only syllable is mouth could make out.

"What are we going to do?" she finally asked him.

"I don't know. I guess we have to tell your parents." Sean said.

Emma's eyes widened. "No! Do you know what they'll do?"

"Nothing compared to what they will do if they found out anyway." Sean replied. "It's better if we just got it out of the way. For your sake."

"My sake? Sean, what about you? You're about to be shipped off to…to… Oh God, I can't do this." Emma said jumping off of the bed. Sean attempted to follow her to comfort her, but the pacing began again. "You're going to…"

"Afghanistan." Sean said quietly.

"And I'm pr…pre…"

"Pregnant."

Sean felt a little bit backwards now. Usually, it was he that had troubles saying what it was on his mind and Emma being the one to finish off what he wanted to say. But he figured that this was a whole lot scarier for her than for him. And he was pretty terrified.

"What am I going to do?" Emma asked. Sean looked up to see her brown eyes pleading with him. He cringed slightly as she saw her sigh heavily. He hated to see her in any kind of pain and/or trouble. "Sean, my parents are going to freak-out. When it hits the school, they're going to make it worse. And you'll be…"

"I don't have-"

"Yes you do!" Emma quickly shot Sean's statement down. "But, it won't be forever, right? I mean, you are coming back, right?"

Sean blinked once in confusion and then again in shock.

"I would never leave you Emma." Sean said certainly. "Even if you are, pr…" And now he found it hard to say. "Pregnant, I would never leave you, especially now."

"Thanks. I needed that." Emma said.

Sean rose from his spot on her bed.

"I think it's time we told them what's going on." Sean said.

Emma gave a mock whine and a pout to go with it, though Sean's face did not change. Sighing in defeat, Emma turned on her heals.

"Let's go." Emma said.

Sean hated to admit it, but the pout was extremely appealing.

The calling of the parents, as Emma liked to refer it, was one done only in dire emergencies. Although the title meant that one or both parents were called, it was actually nothing more than a family meeting. Sean had little experience with this 'calling of the parents' with his own parents, but after a year or two with Emma, he knew exactly what to do now.

Sit, listen, and speak only when spoken to.

This meeting was taking place in Emma's kitchen, a usual spot for it. Spike had put Jack to bed for the night and Snake had already yawned once to show, whether purposely or not, that he was ready for the same thing.

"Emma, what's so important that you have us here at a quarter-till eleven?" Spike asked, checking the clock on the wall as she spoke.

"Mom… Dad…" Sean knew that Emma was more likely to beat around the bush, a tactic she only used when she was in trouble. Lately, Emma's tactics had grown something Sean blames on both Jay and Peter. "I'm pregnant."

And all was quiet on the Western Front. Those were Emma's thoughts as she remembered the World War II novel.

"You're what?" Spike said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"I said I'm pregnant." Emma repeated. "Sean-"

"What happened to all that birth-control stuff? I thought you said that you and your mom talked about this?" Snake shouted.

"We did but-"

"No buts! When I saw you, you said that everything was taken care of! What happened to that?" Snake asked.

"Mr. Simpson, it just happened." Sean lamely said. Then again, the input was not said to justify the results, but to shift glares from Emma to him.

"I can't deal with this right now." Snake said. "I thought that you two could-"

"Snake, I don't want to wake Jack up." Spike said sternly. "And as for you two, what the hell were you thinking? When I had that talk with you Emma, I didn't mean to go have sex thirty seconds later. I was trying to prepare you for the future, like after high school."

"I'm sorry Mom. We thought we were ready." Emma said.

"Well are you?" Spike responded. "You obliviously didn't think of everything or else you wouldn't be in this position." Spike sighed. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. Sean, go home."

"Yes ma'am. I'll see you tomorrow Em." Sean said.

Emma watched as her last lifeline left the kitchen, via backdoor, closing it quietly behind him. She then turned her eyes to her mother and stepfather, both with faces of anger and fatigue.

"Tomorrow, I want you to go to a doctor to make sure after school." Spike said. "We will talk more afterwards. Until then, no parties, no sleepovers, no staying after school unless you're with Snake, got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Emma said staring at the ground.

"Go to bed." Spike ordered. Emma did not need to be told twice before leaving the kitchen. Spike sighed. "Archie… What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Snake said. "I don't know."

* * *

Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **The prologue is over and now the story begins. This story is kind of like a time fic, as it goes back and forth between Ryan and Justin's time period. I will try to announce which time zone the chapter will be in, such as this one, which will be in J.J and Ryan's time. Read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One: The Twins**

"Ryan! J.J! Get up!" the annoyed teen shouted.

Ryan groaned in his bed, his brown hair going in multiple uncombed ways. He eyed his twin sleeping. Ryan, twelve, looked at the doorway to see his fifteen years old uncle, Jack.

"Jack, what time is it?" Ryan asked tiredly.

"Time for school," Jack replied sarcastically. Ryan chose not to give Jack his infamous left middle finger. "Come on, we have to get a move on."

"The school is down the road. How late can we be?" Ryan asked getting out of the bed."

"You mean next to having a grandfather that runs the place and you're already ten minutes behind schedule? A lot." Jack said. "Besides, you missed Izzy."

"Oh man." Ryan said before going to his twin, Justin. "Hey, J.J, get up." No response. "Fine, when Mom comes home and sees that you missed the first day of school, don't be pissed at me."

"Ryan, go back to bed. Jack's just pulling your leg. School doesn't start for another hour." Justin mumbled.

"No stupid. That's what happened an _hour_ ago! We're late." Ryan replied.

Justin sighed heavily before throwing the covers off of himself. He eyed his identical twin before getting up. To the normal person, the two looked completely identical, but to the Simpson/Nelson- Cameron family, everyone could tell them apart. Justin was a bit taller and Ryan, strangely, wore glasses. Plus, the two wrote with different hands, Ryan a lefty and Justin a righty.

"Let's hurry up. I have to meet up with someone." Jack said.

"Kissy Izzy?" Justin teased, using Isabella Jones's childhood nickname.

Jack's face reddened. "No. And stop calling her that. You know she hates that."

"I'm just saying." Justin said in a mocking tone.

"Let's go, _nephew_." Jack said.

Justin and Ryan snickered as Jack walked out heatedly. They exchanged hand-fives.

"Good one." Ryan said.

Justin shrugged. "The best of what I do. And now, we take over Degrassi. Cameron-style."

"Right." Ryan said.

* * *

The school had not changed much as the trio made their way to the front steps. Ryan now sporting his glasses.

"Look, your classes would be over there with the other middle school classes." Jack said. "I'm going to be in the high school section, got it?"

"It's just a school." Justin said shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to go check it out."

"We're already late!" Jack scolded.

Justin shrugged. "Point? It's not like they can do much. I'll just say, 'Gee, I got lost,' and then what? It's the first day."

With that, Justin walked into the building.

"Ryan, tell me why your brother is annoying." Jack said.

"I don't know. I guess it comes with being the youngest." Ryan answered. "Well, I'm off to class. See you later."

"Alright." Jack said as the two walked off. "The things I do for my sister…"

* * *

Ryan skidded to a stop before colliding with a female student. Both of them were thrown onto the ground.

"That hurt…" Ryan muttered before looking at the girl. "Oh I'm so sorry! I was in a hurry and-"

"It's not problem." the girl said trying to pick up the pieces of paper that scattered in the hallway. Ryan began helping her. "Thanks, though I really shouldn't be thanking you since it is your fault."

Ryan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a klutz sometimes." The girl stopped and held something in front of Ryan. He narrowed his eyes until he realized that they were his glasses. "Oh, thanks."

"Don't mention it." the girl said. The girl successfully gathered all her papers and stood up. "Now I'm even later." Ryan stood up and studied the girl. Petite, blonde curls, green eyes, and a beauty mole on her right cheek. "This stinks."

"Well, I'll see you around." Ryan said reaching for a doorknob. He closed his eyes. Justin was clearly the womanizer between the two. "Say, what is your name?"

"Stacy." the girl said walking down the hallway. "Thanks again…"

"Ryan!" Ryan called at her. Ryan smiled before stepping in the classroom. He froze once all eyes turned on him. "…"

"And you are?" the teacher asked.

"Ryan Cameron." Ryan said moving to the first empty seat he saw.

"Ah, Mr. Cameron." the man said. "I'm Mr. Douglas. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year. Welcome to Degrassi."

"Thanks." Ryan said.

* * *

Justin walked into his classroom and sat down in a seat near the back.

"And you are?" the female teacher asked her most-recent tardy student.

"Justin Cameron, but I prefer J.J." Justin answered.

"Uh-huh. Do you have a note?" Justin shook his head negatively. "Well, don't let this happen again. I'm Ms. Vasquez, your homeroom teacher. I don't tolerate tardiness, but since it is the first day, I'm giving you a break. Just this once."

"Yes ma'am." Justin said, though everyone knew he did not mean it.

"Hey," Justin looked beside him to see a blonde girl. "How'd you get here so fast? And where're your glasses?"

Justin frowned. "My what? And do I know you?"

Stacy glared. "It's me, Stacy! You just bumped into me in the hallway!"

"Oh brother…" Justin said palming his forehead. He removed his hand and smiled. "Stacy, you ran into my twin, Ryan." Stacy's eyes widened. "Yeah, we get that a lot. Though this is the first time a girl has every mistaken me for him. It's usually vice versa."

"I'm sorry." Stacy said with flushed cheeks. "I didn't know."

"No one knows until we tell them. We kind of like being different. The nerd and the jock. Sort of." Justin replied. "And I'm sorry for him bumping into you. He's a klutz."

"That's what he said." Stacy said.

Justin grinned. "I bet he did. Now, let's talk about you…"

* * *

After homeroom, Justin and Ryan were both annoyed to find that their lockers were next to one another.

"This again? It's worse than that time we were in first grade and had to share cubby holes." Ryan said.

"Please, don't ever say that again. I have a reputation to build and maintain." Justin responded. "Speaking of which, Stacy is cute. Not drop-dead gorgeous, but no where near ugly." Ryan eyed his brother in confusion. "What? Wondering how I met her?"

"Yeah."

"We have homeroom together." Justin explained. "And like always, there was a case of mistaken identity. But only this time, she thought _I_ was _you_. I straightened that out."

"So…" Ryan said as the two began to walk towards their first period class. "Do you think she's like dating material or whatever?"

"You?" Justin countered.

"I'm not you, Casanova." Ryan said. Justin gave a small frown causing Ryan to sigh. "Giovanni Jacopo? It was a- Never mind. You date more than I do. That's what I'm saying."

"Uh-huh. And Romeo couldn't have been compared to me because…?" Justin questioned.

"Romeo only dated _one_ girl and died for her. You wouldn't die for any of these girls. You'd just find someone else." Ryan replied. "So, what do you say? Dating material?"

"Hmm… I'd say yeah." Justin said. "She obviously has a thing for twins and I'm obviously the better of the two." Ryan scoffed at the statement. "So… Yeah. I could date her. Give me a day or two to know her."

"Yeah." Ryan said quietly as the two walked into their Media Immersion class. They sat beside one another, Justin to Ryan's right. "You know this year, I might want to do something big, you know? Make an impact during our first year."

"Run for president." Justin said deadpanned. Justin looked to see the surprised look on Ryan's face. "What? With your mouth, you'd be perfect for class, or even school, president."

"I might try it." Ryan said before the teacher walked into the room.

"Good morning class. I am your teacher, Ms. Oh." the elderly woman said. "Welcome to Media Immersion."

"Boy, I wonder how boring she can make this class." Justin whispered to his brother, though Ryan was not looking at him.

Although it appeared that Ryan was paying attention to Ms. Oh, he was actually thinking about Stacy. She was attractive, no doubt, and he wanted to be the quicker of the two and ask her out first. However, Ryan was no idiot. For some reason, girls always chose Justin over him. He had, at one point, thought it was the glasses but that changed when Justin got a girl's number while wearing Ryan's glasses.

"Hey, Ryan, are you going to just sit there or are you going to respond to the lady?" Justin's voice broke Ryan out of his trance.

"Oh, here." Ryan said, gaining a few snickers from the class.

"Embarrassing…" Justin muttered.

"Shut up." Ryan retorted.

"Hey, no point in getting mad at me because you're spacing out over some girl." Justin said. "It's just your natural thing. Over-thinking simple situations."

"Better than failing." Ryan replied, gaining a small shrug from his younger twin brother. "Do you even care?"

"Some times." Justin said.

Ryan did not reply to Justin. Ryan knew that his brother did not care as much about his grades as Ryan did. Justin cared more about athletics and girls. Ryan, though athletic, did not have such luck with the opposite sex.

"I bet Grandpa is going to show up soon." Justin commented. "He did teach Media Immersion and here we are. Media Immersion. In his former classroom. In his school. As his grandsons."

"I get it." Ryan said. "But why do you care?"

Justin looked at Ryan. "Do you know what people will think if Granddad checks in on us _everyday_?" Ryan lazily rolled his eyes. "There goes all hopes of being anything in this school. _Anything_."

"Whatever J.J." Ryan said.

"Ryan, you of all should know what I'm talking about." Justin said. "Just think about it. What would Stacy think if your granddad checked on you every single day?" Seeing Ryan's face actually strike a thinking pose, Justin smirked. "You see what I mean?"

Ryan shook his head. "That's not important, and what does she have to do with that anyway?"

"I'm just saying." Justin said.

Ryan sighed at before logging onto the computer in front of him. If there was one thing Justin would always be good at is getting under someone's skin. Ryan used to try and come back with witty phrases, but Justin always outdid him. Now, Ryan doesn't even try.

"Hey," Justin said. "I wonder what Mom by, 'I hope you do better than me'."

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe she did badly in school."

"Mom with bad grades? Hardly." Justin said. "I'm going to find out though, one way or the other."

"Have fun." Ryan replied.

* * *

Before lunch, Ryan put his morning books away to avoid carrying them any longer. Justin waited for his brother, though Ryan knew that this was probably a one-time thing. Justin usually went ahead with his friends.

"Well look who has finally reach the big league." the voice of Isabella Jones reached the twins causing them to turn to see their uncle's friend. She smiled at them. "How's your first day?"

"It's fine Kissy Izzy, how is yours?" Justin remarked.

Isabella's face went from amused to anger in seconds.

"If you say that cursed nickname again I'll make sure that today is your _last_ day here, got it?" Isabella threatened. Justin nodded with a smirk. "Good. So how are you Ryan?"

"Fine." Ryan said.

Isabella threw her arm around Ryan's neck.

"I'm so glad you're not like your brother. He's _so_ annoying." Isabella said.

"He's standing right beside you." Justin commented.

"If only you were a bit older." Isabella said playfully, though Ryan still blushed. "Ah… I can see it now."

"What about Jack?" Justin asked.

"No one is talking to you or about Jack. Stop breaking up my daydream about your brother." Isabella said. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, the future. Or what could have been the future had you been older. Or the present."

Justin snorted in laughter. "That's a laugh. I'll see you around Ryan, I got some friends to catch up to."

"Sure." Ryan said a bit hoarse as he was picturing what it would be like to wake up beside Isabella.

Justin walked off while Isabella and Ryan watched for a moment. Then Isabella began to pull Ryan with her.

"Come on Ryan, you can hang out with Jack and our friends." Isabella said. "But I warn you. They are all annoying, especially your uncle."

"Sure." Ryan said. "But… Are you only doing this because-"

"Yep." Isabella cut Ryan off. "You are the nerdy one and we are the helpful ones. You teach us and we'll protect you. That's how it goes."

"Oh. Okay." Ryan said.

"Although," Isabella stated. "If you want me to hook you up with one of the girls I can."

"That's, that's okay." Ryan said before Isabella led him to a table outside of the cafeteria. Ryan saw two boys that he did not know, a girl he also did not know, and Jack.

"You weren't kidding." Jack stated.

"Nope." Isabella said as she sat in-between one of the unknown boys and the other girl. "Friends, this is Ryan Cameron, Jack's nephew. Ryan, these are our weird, annoying friends. This is Kevin, Cassidy, and Dylan."

"'Sup?" the boy beside Isabella, Kevin, said.

"Nothing." Ryan said sitting beside Jack.

"To whom it may concern, Ryan is the nerd of the twins." Jack said, resulting in a frown from the youngest boy.

"And also the cutest." Isabella said with a smile and a wink, gaining another blush from Ryan.

"Never knew you were a pedophile Bella." Dylan said.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"I don't know Dill," Cassidy stated. "If he's free, I might have to teach him a thing or two myself."

"First day, two girls. I have to say Ryan, I'm impressed." Jack said before sipping a soda from the can. "Give it a day or two and you might be like me."

"I think he has you beat, Jack." Dylan said. "Bella _and_ Cassidy? That's two that you _don't_ have."

"I'm friends with them. That makes up for that." Jack replied before turning to Ryan. "And where's the troublemaker?"

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. Cafeteria I guess."

"Let's hope so." Jack said.

* * *

Justin sat at a table with four friends that he had met earlier: Desmond, Ronald, Brittany, and Zoey. The five of them were currently talking about a party that was to take place Saturday.

"You know," Zoey said moving a piece of red hair out of her face. "We can also go out later on today, if everyone is free."

"I'm free." Ronald said. "What about you two?"

Desmond shrugged. "I don't know… My parents seem to make me do things when I least expect it."

"That's true." Ronald said. "You J.J? You free?"

"Should be." Justin replied. "Yeah, I'm sure I can do whatever."

"Great. We should meet up somewhere." Zoey said.

"Hey Ry- J.J," the voice of Stacy said coming to the table, palming her head. "Ryan wears glasses, J.J doesn't, I need to remember that."

Justin frowned. "Is there something I can help you with Stacy?"

"I was looking for your brother. Do you know where he is?" Stacy asked.

"Uh, he's probably with our uncle, Jack." Justin answered. "Check outside. Nine times out of ten, Izzy is playing with him."

"Izzy…?" Stacy repeated.

"Some friend of Jack's. She likes messing with Ryan." Justin said. "I don't hang around her because she's a bit aggravating. Cute, but aggravating."

"Oh." Stacy said. "Thanks. I'll go find him now."

As Stacy walked away, the blonde Brittany leaned on her elbows on the table to get closer to Justin, who sat across from her.

"Do you think she has a thing for your brother?" Brittany whispered.

"I hope not." Justin muttered.

Ronald's eyebrow quickly twitched in mischief as he smirked.

"Oh I get it. You have a thing for Stacy." Ronald said. Justin tried to say something- anything- but nothing came out. "I can talk to her for you if you want."

"Nah, I've never needed anyone's help. Besides, I don't think she's looking for Ryan for _that_. Probably some math problem that I wouldn't understand." Justin said. "So, about Saturday?"

Brittany and Ronald exchanged glances before Brittany sat up straight.

"Yeah, Saturday." Ronald said.

* * *

Ryan laughed with the others at the table.

"That's why we don't go to many parties anymore." Jack concluded, though Ryan was hardly paying attention. "We wouldn't want any of us to have, uh, stomach problems."

"I still say it could've happened to any of us." Dylan said.

"New girl at seven o'clock." Cassidy announced.

The group saw Stacy walk timidly up to them. She eyed the older teens before looking at Ryan.

"I was looking for you. You said that you were going to talk about Media Immersion. Tips for the class and all." Stacy said.

Isabella smiled. "Well aren't you in luck? Ryan here," Ryan groaned at Isabella's tone. "Can do almost anything on a computer, even find the best music."

"Oh. That's good." Stacy replied. "You must be Isabella, right?"

"Yes I am. What can I do for you?" Isabella asked with a small frown.

"Oh! Nothing! J.J just said that you would be, well, messing with him." Stacy responded.

Now it was Ryan's turn to frown. "Messing with me? What does he mean by that?"

"I don't know. That's just what he said." Stacy said.

"Go and help your friend. And stay out of trouble." Jack stated.

"Sometimes I think you're my dad and not my mother's _younger_ brother." Ryan murmured as he stood up.

Jack and his friends watched Ryan and Stacy walk away together, talking amongst themselves.

"You know that she used that as an excuse right?" Isabella said to Jack.

Jack nodded. "I know. But I'm happy that he found a girl that actually seems to be interested in him."

"Who said that I was playing?" Cassidy asked, gaining a laugh from Isabella.

"Sadly, I believe her." Kevin said.

"As long as she doesn't hurt him." Isabella said. "If she does that, then I'm going to rip her-"

"No you're not. Let it go." Jack interrupted. Jack then smirked. "Besides, wouldn't you just love to see where this goes? We could have so much fun with this."

Cassidy frowned. "Why are you picking on your nephew?"

"Because those two brats deserve it." Jack said.

* * *

After their first day of school, Justin and Ryan returned home to find their mother in the kitchen humming and cooking.

"Hey Mom." the two said in unison.

Emma smiled. "Hey. How was your first day?"

"Good except we never learned why you said what you said yesterday." Justin responded.

"Oh. About hoping your first year is better than my last?" both boys nodded. Emma giggled. "Well, I can tell you now, it's not what you're thinking."

"What did you do?" Ryan asked.

"Was Grandma mad?" Justin added.

"Did you get bad grades?"

"Suspended for fighting?"

"Say something bad in front of Granddad?"

"Shoot someone?"

Emma and Ryan stared at Justin after he said the last statement. He looked at both of them and shrugged.

"It could happen." Justin said.

"You know," Emma said. "I'll do you a favor. Everyday after school, I'll tell you a piece of what happened to me during my last year. Is that a deal?"

"What's the other part?" Ryan asked.

"You be honest and tell me what happened to you if you are uncertain about something. Okay?" Emma asked. Ryan and Justin nodded. "Good. So, where should I begin?"

"The first day." Ryan answered.

"And don't skip anything." Justin added.

"Alright," Emma said. "Well, during my first day of my senior year, I was already in serious trouble. I was pregnant with you two." Justin's and Ryan's eyes widened. "Yeah and your dad was away in the army. So I went through a task."

"This is already good." Justin said.

"Trust me. It gets better." Emma stated.

* * *

**A/N:** So next chapter will be in Emma's time during her pregnancy. It kind of starts where the prologue ended. Thanks and keep reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two: The First Day of Their Lives**

Seventeen and pregnant. That was the worst combination she could think about. But, thinking about it, she had it better than some. At least she still had a home. Angry parents, but a home no less.

"Emma," Spike said standing by the steps that led upstairs. "I need to talk to you about, that."

Emma, who had been awake since five in the morning, looked over at her mother as she folded her shirt. Due to her inability to sleep, Emma decided to spend her time doing something productive, like laundry.

"I made an appointment see the doctor today." Spike said. Emma's brows began to knit together. "I want to be sure Emma."

Understanding, Emma nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Do you know what position you've put yourself in?"

The question seemed to throw Emma off for a while. It was not the question itself, but more like the tone used. Spike came down in a calm and collected manner and then that question came and it seemed as if Emma was in deeper trouble than she was last night. She pondered about that for a moment. How much more trouble could she really be in?

"Emma, do you know what raising a kid in high school is like?" Spike continued, breaking Emma's thoughts. "You don't have a job. Sean's job barely covers for his expenses in his apartment. Neither of you know how to raise a child. This is serious Emma! Just what were you two thinking?"

Emma sighed. Of course she was in more trouble.

"Mom, I said sorry. We did-"

"Sorry? Is that the best you can come up with?" Spike interrupted. "When I was pregnant-"

"I'm not you." Emma interrupted, but quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Back talking was bad enough, but doing it now was near suicidal. Her mother could kill her now.

And Spike's face showed it.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Spike all but hissed out.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Emma tried to plead her way out.

"No. What did you mean by that?" Spike questioned again.

Emma stood silently for a moment as she searched for anything to say now.

"You think he loves you, huh?" The statement brought Emma back into reality as she looked at her mother once again. "He says it. He shows it. You absolutely believe that Sean, a boy who is leaving for the army, will always be there for you when you need him the most, right?" Emma dumbly nodded. What was her mother getting at? "Those were the exact same thoughts I had when I was pregnant with you. And you know what? I was dead wrong."

"Sean does love me!" Emma retorted. It was one thing for her mother to lash at her, but doubting Sean's love was going overboard. Emma knew that she would hear more of this later, but for now, she had someone to defend. "And if we were given the chance, he and I could have thought of a plan about the future. But _you_ and your husband kicked him out before we had the chance!"

"Em-"

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have told you in the first place!" Emma cut her mother off.

The reaction on Spike's face showed Emma a mixture of horror and shock. The rage that was once in the shorter woman had completely left her. Emma felt her own anger building and then realized that this was her mother she was speaking to. The woman she had always admired and tried to be.

"Mom," Emma said in a softer voice. "I'm sorry."

"…" The silence was almost as threatening as the looks Spike had been giving her daughter. "Why?"

"Because I knew that you would freak out." Emma answered. "And…" Emma paused as she gathered her words right. "I didn't want to end up like Manny."

"Oh Emma, I would never kick you out, pregnant or not." Spike said. "I just… I don't want to see you hurt, at all."

"Sean would never hurt me." Emma said.

"Again, you mean."

The statement momentarily caused the smallest of doubts to slip from the shadows of Emma's mind. Sean has harmed in the past but…

"N-no. No." Emma said. "He would never do that to me. I know he won't. He already offered to stay behind, but I told him to go."

Spike gave Emma a nod.

"If you say so. Now get ready for school. Snake's about to leave."

It did not take Emma long to finish preparing for school. All that was missing were her shoes, and once they were on, she was eating and waiting for Snake to come to the car. She did not necessarily like riding with her stepfather to school, but she chose not to argue with her irritated mother.

When Snake came to the car, he got in with a long heavy sigh. From the look on his face, Emma knew that Snake had limited sleep last night.

"Emma," Snake began. Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew this was coming. "Your mother is scared. She doesn't want you to go through the same thing she did."

"I know." Emma said.

"I made a small mistake by merely watching you grow up. I will help you raise it if the worst should happen." Snake said. "But promise me that you will never get yourself in this position again."

"I promise." Emma said. "Thanks Snake."

"You're welcome."

After arriving at school, Emma made a beeline to her locker. She did not talk to her friends in the hallway, nor did she want to. She just wanted to get today over with.

"Hey Em, hold up!" Emma silently cursed her luck. Of course Manny would be the one to catch her going to class. The girl had a tendency to show up during Emma's worst moments. Then again, didn't all nosey best-friends? "What's the rush today?"

"Rush? No rush! I'm just going to class." Emma said quickly. Manny's tilted head and frown gave Emma the feeling that her speech was not convincing. Emma sighed. "I'm just a little anxious to hear from Sean later on."

"Oh…" Manny said.

Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. Did Manny really think that she stayed around the phone all day waiting on his call? Not to speak badly of her friend, but just who did Manny think she was talking to; herself? No one in their right mind spent their entire day waiting on a boy to call, but Manny who would probably always take Craig's calls, even if he was married with children.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, that's all."

"I'm sure he's going to call." Manny said as Emma mentally added a "Duh" in response. "Well, come on. English is calling our names."

"Unfortunately…" Emma said.

It was not like Emma to space out during class. And for the first five periods of the day, and lunch, she had done just that. The reason?

Well, to be correct, there were _reasons_. The first one was the fact that she was pregnant. It seemed like only yesterday Liberty was in this predicament, and the day before, Manny. Emma sighed. She was never a true believer of karma or luck, but it seems as if her friends' bad luck was rubbing off of her. And like her two friends, she was pregnant by a boy who she dearly loves who has once hurt her before. Coincidence? She hardly thought so anymore.

The second thing was what her mother said earlier, added with her new perceptive of luck. Sure, Sean promised he would be there- and half of her believed him- but the other half did not. If her hypothesis about karma and luck were true, then she would end up in a similar position as Manny and Liberty. Putting herself and Sean in as the variables, and she concluded that the pregnancy would cause the two to fuss and fight, like Manny and Craig and Liberty and J.T. Did she want that? No.

Emma shook her head. There was one valuable lesson that she learned from her two friends: Keep the kid. In the long run, both Liberty's and Manny's decision ended up in a death. Though Manny would argue with Emma that her baby was never really a baby, Emma still believed that death was death; murder was murder; and a fetus is a living thing. And in Liberty's case had she kept their son, J.T would have probably never dated Mia, J.T would have been with Liberty the night he was stabbed, crisis avoided. But, that was the past and there was nothing Emma could do about it but learn from it. Ça la vie, right?

The third, and most important thing was, herself and the baby. Would she be physically fit to have this child? Would it come out with any deforms or something of the sort?

"…ma… Emma!" Emma snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Liberty, who was calling her. "Are you going to run for valedictorian or not?"

Emma blinked in confusion. "What?"

"This is our senior year. Are you going to run-"

"She's probably in La-La Land again Liberty." Manny said, currently applying lip gloss to her lips in the midst of Media Immersion. "She's been doing it all day long." Manny paused and smiled. "I think Sean really has her sprung."

"Whatever." Emma replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I think you should run." Damian said to Emma. "You'd make a good valedictorian."

"Aren't you running?" Manny questioned.

Damian shrugged. "Good competition never killed anyone. Well, not in this case."

The three girls looked at one another before turning back to Damian.

"I'll let Liberty run." Emma said.

"R-Really? Are you sure Emma? I mean-"

"Liberty, you'll do fine." Emma said, not really wanting to hear Liberty's theories on why Emma should run and not herself. Thankfully, the bell rang. "Thank God…"

"Alright class, same time tomorrow." Snake said. "Emma, can I talk to your for a second."

Crap it, Emma thought. She was home free and yet, this happens.

"Yes?" Emma said stepping up to his desk.

Snake waited until everyone else was out of the class before speaking in a quiet tone.

"Sorry I can't make it to your meeting today. I have a meeting in ten minutes."

Emma gave a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll go by myself and tell you all about it."

"Take my car. Your mother can pick me up after the meeting." Snake said reaching into his desk. When Emma was younger she always pictured her father coming back into her life and handing her, the keys to a new car. Since she now knew how highly impossible that seemed, she pictured Snake filling in the space and he has yet to fail after his small affair with her ex's mother. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Emma said taking the keys.

"Drive-"

"I know, I know. I'll be safe." Emma said walking out of the classroom. And again, for the second time, there was Manny. "You waited on me?"

"Don't I always?" was the deadpan response. "So, what did he want?"

"Uh, nothing. He just wanted me to pick something up for him since he's got a meeting." Emma replied.

"I wish I could go with you buy the cheerleaders need me. I'll see you later." Manny said before walking off.

Emma sighed heavily before walking towards Snake's car. As she walked, for one odd reason or another, she had flashes of what used to be. Things such as Paige using the word "hon" in every other sentence or Spinner bullying J.T and Toby until the latter began dating his sister or when Manny was not the- to put it lightly- promiscuous girl she was today. No, Emma thought of the simpler times. Spinner was the bully who did nothing but the occasional prank, Jimmy was the jock, Hazel was Jimmy's cheerleader girlfriend, Paige was the dominant one, Manny was the giggly one, J.T was the class-clown, Toby was the nerd, and she was debater. Life was so much easier back then.

Getting into the car, Emma made sure that she adjusted the seat to her comfort before starting the car up.

"Here we go." she murmured to herself before pulling out of the teacher's parking lot.

The last time she was here… The last time she sat in this exact seat… J.T died. Her friend of several years died in this very hospital. Ironically, here she was seeing if she would give birth in this place.

"Nervous?" a girl asked beside her. Emma turned to see a girl about her age, give or take a year, with dark brown curls and green eyes shielded behind pink trimmed glasses. Emma gave her a small nod. "Pregnant too, huh?"

"How did you know?" Emma asked.

The girl shrugged. "You look like me and I look like you. I'm Elizabeth, but people call me Lizzie."

"Emma." Emma said. "You're pregnant?"

"Yep. My jerk of a boyfriend forgot to wrap it up and here I am." Lizzie said before giggling. "Why do I love that idiot so much, I'll never know."

"But, you're only like-"

"Seventeen?"

Emma nodded. Yep, this Lizzie girl and her were practically on the same boat. So, Emma figured, her life could not be that bad if Lizzie could sit here with a smile plastered on her face.

"Where is he?" Emma asked.

Lizzie sighed. "Learning how to box. He has some dream about becoming a boxer. I support him, but sometimes it gets in the way of 'we time' if you know what I mean."

"I understand." Emma said. "Mine is off in the military."

As if on cue, Lizzie's eyes widened. "No way!"

"Yeah… He said he would call to tell me the earliest he could return, but he hasn't." Emma said. "He wants to know if the test was true or not."

"…"

Emma did not know if Lizzie's silence was out of confusion or astonishment because the other girl's face showed a mixture of the two. Then Lizzie turned her attention to her hands in her lap, sliding her glasses back up for a moment.

"So he knows, huh? How'd he take it?"

The question was a lot quieter than the tone the two had been using up until now and it nearly startled Emma a bit. She stayed quiet, hoping Lizzie would pick up on this and say the sentence louder.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Your boyfriend… He knows that you're pregnant, right?" Lizzie restated. Emma nodded. "How did he take it?"

"Well, he was surprised a bit. Then he said that we had to tell my parents. Afterwards-"

"Your _parents_ know too!"

The yell got more attention than Emma wanted, but she nodded anyway. It did not take a genius to realize that Lizzie's pregnancy was kept secret and Emma now realized that if she had done what she wanted to do and not what Sean wanted, she would be in Lizzie's spot right now.

"Lizzie, you might want to tell your parents." Emma said.

Lizzie shook her head violently. "No, nononono. They will kick me out like when they found out that my older brother was doing drugs."

"You can't keep it from them forever you know."

"I know! I just…" Lizzie paused. "My parents are like the deciders of what's perfect and everything else. I have to be the perfect child or else… I don't want to think about what else."

"But, you seem so outspoken and now you seem…"

"Terrified?"

"Yeah." Emma response was a bit faster than she wanted. "Don't you think you should at least try to explain to them what happened?"

Lizzie sighed. "Not really. You see, I've been saving up and-"

"You're moving out!"

Now it was Emma that was causing attention. Lizzie nodded.

"But… You can't! You wouldn't be able to live on your own _and_ maintain a baby without either your parents or your boyfriend knowing!" Emma said. "That's…" Emma paused. "That's exactly what I was thinking before Sean told me otherwise."

"So it's not such a dumb idea." Lizzie said with a hint of triumph.

"Please, think about that though. Talk to someone." Emma said.

"What do you think I'm doing with you?" Lizzie questioned. "I figured if you and I were anything alike, you'd give me some good advice."

Emma smiled. "I need advice myself. I'm pregnant. My boyfriend's away. And I live in the basement of my mother's house." The smile that came on Lizzie's face nearly screamed what Lizzie was thinking. "No. My mom would never approve of it."

"Well, if you ever change your mind," Lizzie pulled out a slip of paper and a pen, writing her phone number on it. "Here's my number." A doctor came to the waiting room and called out for Elizabeth Grayson. "That's me. Wish me luck?"

"Good luck." Emma said as Elizabeth walked with the doctor away. And no sooner did the two disappear behind the doors did another doctor come out. Emma smiled. "I'm right here Dr. Taylor."

The aged man smiled. "I know you are. Come on Emma, let's get this check-up out of the way."

Emma has always known her to have a better relationship with adults than her friends. Manny tended to draw the older male population's attention with the wrong reasons. Liberty only talked to adults that furthered her education. Darcy… Well, Emma did not want to think of Darcy's last "connection" with an adult. Neither the rape nor the one with Snake. So that left Emma, who was friends with a lot of adults.

Leading her to the small clinic room, Emma hopped on the bed, already knowing most of the procedures by heart. But this was different. Dr. Taylor almost never closed the curtain on the door and he never gave her the critical look he was giving her now. Had she been completely delirious, she would have screamed rape right there.

"Pregnant, huh?" was all he said. Emma gave a weak smile and nodded softly. "Your mother wanted me to give you a test myself, but I'm guessing that it is already pretty much clear to you right?" Again, Emma nodded. "I guess there's nothing more for me to do then. Well, next than giving you my daily piece of advice and a lollypop."

"I think I'm too old for the lollypop." Emma joked, though both of them knew how bad she wanted one at the moment.

"Emma," Dr. Taylor began. "You're a real smart and bright girl and I'm sure that you will make the right decision about this child. But I want you to know that you have other people looking out for you, so don't you ever think that you have to do something alone. Okay?"

Emma nodded. "Sure. Dr. Taylor."

"Good. Now be back here in two weeks. I'll give you a real test then to make sure that everything is going on well." Dr. Taylor said. "And in the meantime, take care of yourself. And if you need anything, just call."

"Sure." Emma said hopping off of the bed.

"I'm recommending that you get a good dose of family and friends." Dr. Taylor said with a smile. "They'll heal you of the smaller things."

"Sure…" Emma said.

Not knowing what else to say, Emma walked out of the room, awkward silence following her. She did not even want a sucker now. She just wanted to go to sleep. But when she walked out of the hospital, she saw a sight that she did not need right now. Lizzie crying.

"Hey," Emma said as she approached her. "What's wrong?"

Lizzie wiped her face as she turned to Emma.

"N-Nothing." Lizzie said with a sad attempt of a smile. "Just confirming what I know."

"And that is?" Emma asked.

Lizzie's smile dropped. "That I'm pregnant with a guy who doesn't want a child and my parents aren't going to be so acceptable of the idea and I-"

"You want to take a ride?" Emma cut the sobbing girl off. "My friend works at The Dot. He can whip us up some good milkshakes." Lizzie gave a genuine smile. "Come on. My doctor actually prescribed me to gain as much support and friends that I can, so I guess I can start with you, right?"

"Sure." Lizzie said…

* * *

"And we went to The Dot to talk." Emma said to her sons.

Justin's jaw dropped. "What? What happened next?"

"Yeah Mom, tell us!" Ryan added.

Emma chuckled. "No. That's enough for today. Besides, it's way past time for you two to start on your homework, so hop to it."

"Aw man." the twins said in unison as they walked sluggishly out of the kitchen.

Emma placed a hand on her stomach. "I hope you don't ask about my pregnancy with you too." Emma smiled. "Because your brothers will tell you a totally different story."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three: A Fact about Elizabeth Grayson**

Ryan walked into the kitchen in search of his mother. It was Thursday afternoon and Justin had gone out with his friends. Ryan on the other hand wanted to hear more about his mother's past. More importantly, he wanted to know just who this Lizzie chick was.

"Hey Mom," Ryan said, gaining his mother's attention. "So, are you ready to tell me the next part?"

"You tell me what happened to day in school and I'll tell you what happened." Emma replied.

Ryan sighed. "Nothing much. A quiz in third period. Izzy and Jack have their usual love-bouts. They argue and then they're friends." Ryan answered. "So, can you tell me what happened next?"

Emma sighed. Though the extremity of persistence was different in both twins, there was no doubt in her mind that her sons were stubborn. Whether she blamed herself or Sean, it would not matter. She was stubborn. Sean was stubborn. Their sons were stubborn. It was a family curse.

"Alright. I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell J.J until I do." Emma said. Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, well, after I met up with Lizzie again, I remember telling her about a plan…"

Emma and Lizzie sat at a small café- Lizzie had opted for somewhere _other_ than The Dot- and ordered a latté. The waiter walked off while the two girls sat in semi-quietness.

"So," Lizzie said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Are you still looking for a roommate?" Emma questioned. The look on Lizzie's face told her more than she needed and she ended up laughing. "Yeah! I talked to my mom and she said that it would be a good idea. Good experience is what she called it."

"Oh Emma! This is the best news I've heard all day!" Lizzie said gleefully.

"What's the worst?" questioned Emma.

"…"

Emma had become quite accustom to Lizzie not spilling her entire life out on a silver-platter every single second of the day. The girl was open about a lot of things, but when it came to a few specific details, she was more tight-lipped than Liberty talking about her son.

"Well?" Emma pushed on.

Lizzie sighed. "Some guy saw one of Jake's spars and wants to make him into the St. Pierre of boxing." Lizzie flicked a piece of brown hair out of her face. "Didn't even care when I said that I was moving out."

"You told him and he didn't budge? Lizzie, I know I may be sounding a bit hypocritical, but don't you think that he's putting _too_ much time into his boxing?" Emma stated. "Even though a few days I told you that you shouldn't think too much about it, but now I'm saying panic."

Lizzie gave Emma a smile. "I'm not going to panic Emma. Besides, when are you going to tell your 'best friend' that you're knocked up?"

"I thought about telling her today, but for some reason she's hanging around this loser named Jay Hogart." Emma said as the waiter returned with their drinks. "Thank you."

The man gave her a smile before walking off.

"Pedophile." Lizzie muttered before sipping the hot drink. "But back to what you said earlier. You'll be willing to move in with me?"

"That such a bad thing?" Emma questioned.

Lizzie shook her head, her curls bouncing on every movement her head made.

"No, no. I was just wondering… You know, I don't have the best family in the world and my boyfriend isn't that big of a stretch ahead of them."

Emma nodded, though she wanted Lizzie to speak more. Emma soon realized that this was one of those things that Lizzie would be tightlipped about, so she chose to dance around the topic, this time.

"My family's not the biggest supporter of teen pregnancies either." Emma said. "So welcome to the club."

Lizzie smiled. "I bet."

"Well, how about we-"

The doorbell rang again, interrupting the story. Ryan nearly gave a feral growl at the interruption. What was happening next?

"Stay right here. I'll go see who that is." Emma said walking out of the room.

Ryan sat at the kitchen table, tapping his finger on the wood impatiently before Emma returned with one of the most stunning looking women he had seen in his life. Out of all the friends his mother had brought over; the chick that went to Africa, the professor at Smithdale, and the actress from Montreal, this one was _easily_ number one.

Her dark brown curls put Manny's to shame, no doubt, and her green eyes were even more exotic looking than Stacy's. She had a curvy, yet petite, build and her olive skin seemed to glow behind his mother.

"Ryan, I'd like you to meet Lizzie." Emma said with a smile.

Ryan's jaw was on the verge from detaching itself from his face. _This_ was Lizzie? He had pictured her as some nerd with long hair, but no. _No_! This woman here looked like a model from…

"Well? Aren't you going to say hi?" Emma asked, her annoyance about rude children showing.

"H-Hi." Ryan said. "S-so you're th-the one from the story."

Lizzie frowned. "Story? Emma, are you talking about me?"

Emma shrugged, moving back to her spot behind the L-shaped island in the kitchen.

"I'm telling him and J.J about our last year in high school." Emma said. Lizzie made an "O" with her mouth before smiling, nearly causing Ryan a heart attack. "I was at the beginning. You know, the day I told you I was moving in with you."

"Oh! Well, you haven't passed the good parts yet!" Lizzie said, joining Ryan at the table. "So where were you at?"

"I was at the part where we go talk to my mom." Emma said.

Lizzie giggled. "That was so much fun!"

Ryan wanted to melt right there. This woman- no- goddess was in his presence. For once, he was glad that Justin was the popular and he was the stay-at-home type. If he would have missed Lizzie's arrival, he would never live it down.

"So may I?" Lizzie asked.

"Go ahead." replied Emma. "We were right at the part where we were getting ready to leave."

Lizzie thought for a moment. "…Okay. I know where we were at." Lizzie's eyes met Ryan, causing him to fight a blush. "Are you ready?"

Ryan, not trusting his voice, nodded. His mother on the other hand simply rolled her eyes with one simply thought.

Boys.

Lizzie smiled. "I bet."

"Well, how about we get out of here and see the place?" Emma asked.

"It's a bit of a drive away." responded the other girl. "Plus, it's only two bedrooms."

"You have enough money for a _two_-bedroom apartment? How much have you been saving?" Emma nearly yelled.

Lizzie blushed, looking at the people now looking at the hysterical blonde.

"Emma… Can you keep it down?"

"Oh… Sorry." Emma said in a quieter tone. "Now, how much have you been saving?"

"A lot, okay? I always wanted to move to Paris when I was a little girl, so every time I got any amount of money, I always stored half of it." Lizzie explained. "I've been doing this for the past twelve years of my life."

Emma could only think of one word that slipped her mouth accidentally.

"Damn."

Lizzie laughed at the statement. Emma hardly used profanity, only if the time really called for it. And when she did, it came almost spontaneously. Lizzie herself did not curse everyday either. But unlike her friend, Lizzie only did it when she was _extremely _pissed off. And there was only one person that heard her.

"Let's go." Lizzie said standing.

Emma slowly stood with her and put a tip on the table before walking out.

The two girls made it to Spike's van and got into it. Emma had no clue on what Lizzie was thinking now, but from her facial expression, Emma could tell that it was seriously bothering Lizzie.

"So," Emma stated, gaining Lizzie's attention. "Jake's really doing this boxing thing, huh?"

"I guess." Lizzie said. "It's not like he's just going to up and tell me about any deal he gets. He's been kind of secretive for one reason or another."

Emma frowned. "Really? I thought all the things he's told you was it."

"I wish." replied her friend quite hotly. "I went by his coach's office one day and found out that he had been having these 'not legal' fights after school and winning money from them. He's been telling me that he's been in lower-ranked fights and that's where the scars were coming from."

"I'm missing something." Emma said. "The money is good, right?"

"It's not the money Emma." Lizzie said. "If the cops were to bust into one of these fights, the guys in the ring are the first to go." Emma gave a silent "Ah" of acknowledgement. "Some nights I wish he were more like Sean and just went to the military if he wanted to do something death-defying."

"Why? At least you get to see him."

"When?"

"Well…" Emma paused. _She_ had been around Lizzie more times than Jakes has. In fact, Emma has never even _seen_ the boy, though she has talked to him on the phone once. "Okay, so maybe you have a point. But you see him more than I see Sean."

"Doesn't feel like it." Lizzie said a tad sadly. "Oh, turn right."

Emma did what she was told and that was how the rest of the drive went. Lizzie sat silently, staring out of the window, only speaking her mind when Emma had to make a turn. And in return, Emma asked no more questions for fear that Lizzie would eventually either snap or break down.

When the two arrived at the apartment complex, Emma was a bit surprised. She was expecting a rundown place with guys standing by the corner, little kids running about in their diapers, and some old woman shouting about the noise. But this was nearly perfect.

"Wow." Emma said as she parked in a spot near the front building.

"I know. When I heard about it I was thinking of some rundown place." Lizzie said undoing her seatbelt. "Are you coming?"

"Sure." Emma said.

The two stepped out of the car and Emma followed Lizzie into the front office. The office was nearly empty, save for Emma, Lizzie, and the woman leaning on the counter reading a magazine and chewing bubblegum.

"Can I help you two?" the woman asked unenthusiastically as she casually flipped the page.

"Yes." Lizzie said. "I'm Elizabeth Grayson. My grandfather called here earlier."

"Uh-huh…"

Lizzie's eyes narrowed. "Bryan Grayson, my grandfather, called here earlier about a room."

The woman paused. Bryan Grayson sounded so familiar.

"Ah! Ms. Grayson!" a man with a fishing hat said, emerging from the door on the wall behind the woman. "Don't mind Shelly here. She'll be outta here as soon as possible."

"Sir, I-"

"Whatever." interrupted the man before grinning at the girls. "Now, when your grandfather called, he said that you wouldn't be here in a few weeks. Your room was set up for you and…"

"Oh. Emma Nelson." Emma said after she realized that the pause was to gain her name.

"Ms. Nelson." he said extending his hand. "I'm Pete McDaniel." Emma shook hands with the man. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Emma replied.

"Okay, so let's see that condo."

Emma's mind did two backflips after that statement. It was bad enough that her name had "magically" been put on the lease or whatever, but now she was told that the reasons these were so nice was because they were condominiums!

"This way Emma." Lizzie said, giving Emma the 'I'll explain later' look.

Following Lizzie and ignoring the man, Emma subconsciously put her hand on her stomach, a thing that was starting to become a habit now. She could not explain why she did it, but she did. And what was worse was that people were starting to notice this habit. Thankfully no one was able to piece it all together.

Yet.

"Here we are. Your room." said Mr. McDaniel as he put a key into the bolt lock and twisting it before putting the same key into the doorknob lock and twisting it, the door opening.

Emma stood floored. Fully furnished. Fully powered. Fully everything! This two-bedroom 'condo' had more than her three bedroom house!

And the thought of her home brought Emma to another problem. She had not really run it by to either Spike or Snake that she was moving out. In fact, they thought it was just a hypothetical question that their daughter had made spontaneously while bored. This was Emma Nelson, such thoughts were expected.

"…So what do you think?" Emma blinked. She had missed the entire tour, standing in the living room. But now, her eyes connected with Lizzie's and the other girl had a hopeful look. "You'll stay? Please?"

"Uh, yeah." Emma said.

"Yay!" Lizzie squealed as she hugged Emma tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"I'll let you two look around," Pete said laying the keys on the coffee table. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks Pete." Lizzie said as he left the room.

"Spill it."

Those were the only two words Emma had to say to get a nervous smile from her newly made friend. Lizzie backed away from Emma and sat on the couch with a huge sigh.

"My grandparents are some rich English people living in the countryside of Ireland." Lizzie said. "My dad moved down here where he met my mom and he then became a senior at the law firm he's at now."

"And this place?" Emma asked. "I thought you said you were saving up."

"I am! I really am! It's just not what you think." Lizzie said. "See, my dad and his dad aren't really on talking terms, so I have like two allowances. While my dad teaches me the 'value of a dollar' my granddad usually just gives me what I want and sends me on my way." Emma began to understand. Lizzie was rich beyond belief! "So while I know where to get money, I usually don't spend it and save it for later in my bank account." Emma's jaw dropped. "Yeah… I guess I should've told you that earlier, huh?"

"It would've helped!" exclaimed the blonde, throwing her hands in the air. "Come on Lizzie, you told me almost everything and this slipped your mind!"

"I'm not allowed to tell people this unless I know that they're not after my wealth. Sorry." Lizzie said apologetically.

Emma sighed. "I guess I can forgive. As long as you forgive me."

Lizzie stared at Emma. "You never told your mom, did you?"

"No." Emma said with a meek smile.

Lizzie smiled. "Then let's go-"

"…I'm so sorry." Lizzie said looking at her ringing cell phone. "I have to get a move on. I didn't plan on staying this long."

"Oh no problem. We'll just pick up where we left off the next time you're off." Emma said before the two women hugged. "I'll see you later."

"Same." Lizzie said before answering her cell phone. "Stacy, what is so urgent?"

Ryan was in an utter stupor. One, and foremost, Lizzie was gorgeous. Beyond gorgeous, she was… Was… Words did not start to describe her. And second, she was rich! Filthy rich and really beautiful. If only he met a girl like that.

"I guess that's a good part to leave off, don't you?" Emma asked. "Now, I want a more in-depth story about your day. And tell me something that has to do with you."

"Well," Ryan said. "There's this girl that I like… But I'm sure she's more into J.J, like usual."

"Oh? What's she like? I don't even want to know her name." Emma said.

Ryan sighed. He knew that tomorrow, he would hear the rest of this tomorrow and be able to see Lizzie again. But in exchange, he must explain Stacy to Emma. What a bittersweet moment this was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four: One Simple Misunderstanding**

Walking to his locker, Ryan thought about one thing and one thing only. The extremely detailed dream he had last night about Lizzie Grayson. Sure she was eighteen years older than he was, but that did not stop his mind from creating the images it did.

"Hey Cameron," Ryan knew who it was and smiled as Stacy came towards him. She was the only one that called him by his last name. "Wanna hang out after school today? I don't have anything better to do and I was hoping that you didn't either."

"Sure." Ryan said, hiding the fact that he was not going to be able to see Lizzie. "What did you want to do?"

"I don't know. Hang at The Dot or something. My mom's being a real 'get out of the house' sergeant right now." Stacy said.

"Yeah. My dad can be like that sometimes." Ryan said. "He always tells J.J and me that we shouldn't let the day go to waste or whatever."

A boy Ryan had in his second period French class named Milan walked by.

"Hey, Liz," Ryan frowned at Stacy's eyes turning to the boy as if he had called her name. "Did I leave my iPod in your room? I couldn't find it this morning and I thought I might have left it there the other night."

Stacy frowned in thought. "I don't think so. I'll check when I get home."

"Thanks." Milan said. "See you in class Ryan."

Ryan watched the other boy walk away. His dreams… His dreams of finding a girl for him… They were shattered. This sort of thing never happened to Justin, no. It only happened to him. He wondered if there was some sort of curse on the older, smarter twin. Bad things always seemed to happen to him.

"Well, I have to get to class. See you later?" Stacy said as if nothing hat happened.

"Sure." Ryan said before walking away.

The only thing Ryan could think about was Lizzie. Her beauty simply made this a lot better. But not for long. He realized that Stacy was as close as an Elizabeth Grayson as he would get in this lifetime.

As he sat in Media Immersion, he ignored everyone, the teacher, the students, even his brother. He was so pissed about the fact that Stacy and Milan had some meeting in her room the other night and she had acted like it was no big deal. It was a huge deal to him. For once in his life, some girl actually liked him instead of Justin, and she has some random guy in her room at night. And just what was he doing there at night anyway?

"Hey," said Ryan's twin, breaking his current thoughts. "You okay? You look like someone just kicked your puppy into traffic."

"I'm fine." Ryan muttered.

"Huh?"

"I said I'm fine." Ryan said in a louder tone. "Can't a guy think in peace?"

"What're you thinking about?" Justin questioned before smiling. "Is it about Stacy or our mom's 'gorgeous' friend that I somehow missed."

"Neither… Both… It doesn't matter." Ryan responded terribly. So much for not giving Justin a reason to pick on him.

"Well," Justin said. "You can hang out with me and the others later on. That is if you're not too busy talking to that 'beautiful' woman."

Ryan stared at his twin for a brief moment. He could ditch his mom for Stacy, ditch Stacy for his brother and his brother's friends, or ditch everyone else for his mom. It was like a never-ending circle of ditching! Sighing, Ryan figured that there was only one logical way to get the thoughts out of his mind.

"I'll think about it." Ryan said.

Justin gave a low scoff. That was Ryan's excuse for not wanting to reject people. When Ryan said 'I'll think about it' it usually meant that he had something else planned and did not either have the heart or care to tell what it is. In other word, Justin would be twin-less at the party later on.

As for Ryan, he was currently thinking about all the reasons Milan would be at Stacy's house at night. There was the possibility that they were related. They could be cousins and he just went to visit her. Or they could have been studying and before it became too late the boy left. The latter hardly made sense since Ryan did not know what classes Stacy and Milan shared. And the fact that Milan had called Stacy "Liz" did not sit well with Ryan either. There were only two types of people that knew embarrassing nicknames, family members and a very close friend. Milan had to be one or the other.

"…" Justin sat in silence, not getting an answer. So, he went for the rude approach. Poking his brother on the head and calling him names. "Hey, dork, are you in there?"

Ryan pulled his head away from Justin's hand.

"What's your problem?" Ryan asked.

"_My_ problem is that every time I ask you something you're on another freaking planet!" Justin said. "Ms. Oh just said that we had to partner up with someone and while everyone moved to partner up, I sat here asking you did you want to be partners. So now we're stuck together."

"Oh…"

It felt so weird that Justin was the one actually paying attention. No. Scratch "felt so," it _was_ weird.

"Get them out of your head and come to the party later on." Justin said.

"Maybe you're right J.J. Just maybe."

* * *

At lunch, Justin was surprised to see his brother join him with his friends. Ryan and Justin never really talked during the school day, sans Media Immersion, and many people had already planted it in their heads that Justin did things on his own while Ryan tended to stay near their uncle, Jack.

Something must be wrong.

"Didn't think you'd take the invitation to heart." Justin said to his brother.

"You know," Zoey said. "You two don't look all that much alike."

"What are you talking about? Their _identical_ twins." Brittany said.

"Yeah," Zoey said. "But J.J looks like Ryan's evil twin, you know? Like Wario and Mario."

Ryan glanced at Justin, who gave him a dismissive wave.

"Zo plays too many video games." Justin explained. "You'll get used to her high-fashion statement and need for video games."

"Oh." Ryan's response was barely heard by the others, but his brother heard it loud and clear.

"Hey," Desmond said to Ryan. "Aren't you friends with Stacy?" Ryan nodded. "Think you could hook me up with her?"

"Maybe." Ryan said.

"Good, because that Milan guy seems to be on her too." Desmond said.

Justin sighed. "I keep telling you to leave her alone. She's just lost her appeal to me."

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"Next to her into guys like you, I don't know." Justin responded. "Besides, from what I hear, she and Milan got a bit cozy the other night. I wouldn't want to intrude on that."

Brittany smirked. "Wow. You used 'intrude' properly."

"Aw man," Ryan said standing up. "I forgot to check in with Jack about something. I'll be right back."

While the others found that very unimportant, Justin could only watch his brother walk away in curiosity. Ryan did not forget much and he surely did not forget to check in with anyone about anything. Besides, if it was that important, Jack would have found Ryan instead. So that meant that Ryan walked away for the topic of the conversation, Stacy Chambers.

* * *

Ryan sat in the bleachers the overlooked the empty football field, his eyes focused on one imaginary object. How and why did this happen to him? If Justin would have had a crush on her and vice versa, his brother would be everything but married to Stacy now.

Sometimes he focused on the girl so much that he actually thought he heard her, giggling. No, it was more like that snicker she does when she sees him tripping in the hallways. Yeah, that's what it sounds like. In fact…

"Cameron, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Stacy asked.

Ryan turned to see her and Milan, both with amused grins on their faces.

"I came out here to think." Ryan said turning away from her.

Stacy frowned at his reaction. He was in a bad mood.

"I'll talk to you later." Milan said giving Stacy a hug and walking away.

Stacy moved and sat directly beside Ryan.

"Are you going to tell me?" Stacy asked.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me what's wrong with you."

"Nothing is wrong with me."

Stacy sighed. He was being strangely stubborn like his brother.

"You know, I asked you out on a date." Bingo. He turned to look at her with shocked eyes behind glasses. If there was one thing she learned was that no guy could ignore a good flirt. "That is, if you wanted to go. With me, that is."

"Why wouldn't I want to go with you?" Ryan asked.

"Uh, hello. Earth to Cameron, you're giving me the cold shoulder!" Stacy said with a smile. "Come on. What's wrong with you?"

Ryan was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Did he just up and tell her that he knew about her and Milan or did he keep it to himself and risk her hating him in return? No easy answer to that one and his time to think was running thin.

"Is it Milan?"

The question threw Ryan for a couple of loops. How did she know? Did she have some sort of mind reading ability like the mutants in one of his uncle's treasured comic books? Impossible; that was fiction. But, Ryan nodded anyway and got the surprise of a life time.

She laughed.

And not just an ordinary laugh. She was practically crying.

Something was funny.

"What?" Ryan asked confused.

"God, you all are so stupid!" Stacy laughed. "Milan and I haven't slept in the same room since we were four!" This caused Ryan to frown harder than he thought was possible. His hairline was practically sitting where his eyebrows should have. "We're stepsiblings!"

Wow. That was all he could think about now. Milan was her stepbrother. That explained a lot: the nickname, the iPod, the bond. Now Ryan felt stupid.

And embarrassed.

Stacy finally calmed down, wiping a few tears that had came down her cheeks, her face redder than Ryan's. After taking a few deep breaths to stop her laughter, Stacy leaned on Ryan's shoulder.

"He's my big bro, Cameron. Why else would I allow him to call me by my middle name?" Stacy asked.

"Your middle name is Liz?" Ryan questioned.

"Elizabeth." Stacy said. "Now tell me yours. It's only fair."

Ryan grinned. "It's Mark. My mom's best friend was some sort of fashion freak so I was the Mark to my brother's Jacob."

Stacy thought for a moment before laughing.

"Marc Jacobs? Really?" Ryan nodded. "That's really funny."

"Did you mean what you said?" Ryan asked.

Stacy sat up. "My mom and Milan's dad got married when I was like two. I don't remember much about it obviously. From what our parents say, we were always close. Wherever he went, I went. He is eight months older than I am on the dot. He was born September third and I was born May third."

"No. Well, yeah about that too, but about the date thing." Ryan said.

"Oh… That…" Stacy said quietly. Ryan turned to see her actually blushing. "Well, I did. I mean, if you wanted to go."

"I do. Seriously." Ryan said. "I just feel so stupid about Milan and you… Man I'm so dumb."

"No you're not. You're one of the smartest people I know." Stacy said. "Besides myself, of course."

Ryan shared a brief laugh with Stacy. The laughter was cut short as they realized how close they were with one another. He could see every detail about her face, every beautiful feature there was. Her eyes seemed to be glowing and her chest moving at a high rate. The small blow of wind blew a strand of her golden blonde hair in her face, and Ryan subconsciously moved it, his hand skimming over her cheek. And she leaned in towards him.

That moment was the scariest moment in his life. He had never even kissed a girl before! Would he kiss too hard? Were his lips dry? Would she try to French him? All these thoughts ran through his mind, but his body acted on pure instincts and his lips pressed against hers. And again. And pretty soon, Ryan's brain had successfully registered how to kiss Stacy.

When they pulled away, Ryan subconsciously licked his lips.

Apples.

"Apples." Ryan said, repeating his thoughts out loud.

"My lip gloss?" Stacy asked. Ryan blinked in confusion, not realizing that he had voiced his thoughts. "My lip gloss is apple."

"So, um, about today," Ryan said. "We can go tonight. I have to do something for my mom and you know that J.J is probably going to bail so I'll be doing it alone."

"I'll come." Stacy said. "You can get it done twice as fast and we'll have that much longer to be out."

"…Yeah…"

Ryan felt a bit uncomfortable with Stacy meeting his mother, let alone the Lizzie, if she was going to be there. He hoped she would. Having Lizzie _and_ Stacy at the same place at the same time was a blessing and a half.

"…to class!" Stacy called. "The bell rang!"

"Oh. Oh yeah." Ryan said rising from his seat. "Let's go."

"Sure." Stacy said.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, I know. Please forgive me for the length and the wait. I will try to make them a bit longer and update faster. Till next time.**


End file.
